SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — San Francisco’s first Black female mayor, London Breed, conceded the race for mayor to Levi Strauss heir Daniel Lurie on Thursday, pledging a smooth transition as he takes over the job.
The Associated Press has not yet declared a winner because tens of thousand of ballots have not yet been counted and added to the ranked choice voting calculations.
Breed, who was raised by her grandmother in public housing, could not overcome deep voter discontent and was trailing Lurie, a philanthropist and anti-poverty nonprofit founder.
“At the end of the day, this job is bigger than any one person and what matters is that we keep moving this City forward,” Breed said, adding that she had called Lurie to congratulate him. “I know we are both committed to improving this City we love.”
While San Francisco’s streets have been cleaner and homeless tents much harder to find in recent months, Breed’s fellow Democratic challengers on the campaign trail repeatedly hammered her administration for doing too little, too late as homeless tent encampments, open-air drug use and brazen retail theft proliferated during her six years in office.
She faced four big-name challengers, including two San Francisco supervisors and a former interim mayor.
But voters flocked to Lurie, 47, a city native from a storied family who pledged to bring accountability and public service back to City Hall. He is the founder of Tipping Point Community, which says it has invested more than $400 million since 2005 in programs to help people with housing, education and early childhood.
“I’m deeply grateful to my incredible family, campaign team and every San Franciscan who voted for accountability, service, and change,” Lurie said in a statement. “No matter who you supported in this election, we stand united in the fight for San Francisco’s future and a safer and more affordable city for all.”
Lurie pumped nearly $9 million of his own money into his first-time bid for mayor, which drew criticism from Breed and other opponents. But he said that as a political outsider, he needed to introduce himself to voters and in the end, some voters said they liked that Lurie’s financial wealth shielded him from being beholden to special interests.
Lurie is an heir to the Levi Strauss & Co. fortune through his mother, Mimi Haas, who wed Peter Haas when Daniel was a child. Peter Haas, a great-grandnephew of Levi Strauss, was a longtime CEO of the iconic clothing company who died in 2005.
Both the Levi’s name and Haas family philanthropic foundations are deeply embedded in San Francisco’s history and identity.
Lurie’s father, Brian Lurie, is a rabbi and longtime former executive director of the San Francisco-based Jewish Community Federation.
Breed won election as mayor in June 2018 to serve out the remainder of Mayor Ed Lee’s term.
She was reelected in 2019 to a full term that has lasted five years instead of the typical four, after voters changed the election calendar to line up with presidential contests.
Mayor London Breed speaks during an election night watch party at Little Skillet in San Francisco on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (Gabrielle Lurie/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Admirers of defensive football should be in for a treat when the Los Angeles Chargers host the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.
The Chargers (5-3) — winners of two straight and three of their last four — allow a league-low 12.6 points per game. They are also the sixth club since 1990 and the first since the 2019 Patriots to allow 20 or fewer points in each of their first eight games.
The Titans (2-6) have NFL’s top-ranked unit in overall defense (269.1 yards per game) and against the pass (155.8 ypg).
Tennessee forced a season-high three turnovers in last Sunday’s 20-17 overtime victory over New England, snapping a three-game skid. Safety Amani Hooker picked off two passes, including the final play of the game, and has all three interceptions by the Titans this season.
Chargers QB Justin Herbert has not been picked off in his last six games.
“He’s getting the ball out quick,” Hooker said. “The receivers are getting open to the spots, you know, where he likes to make the throws, and he’s doing a good job of just not turning over the ball.”
The Titans have held seven of eight opponents under 200 passing yards this season. A significant reason for that is the pressure they've put on quarterbacks.
Tennessee has four sacks in each of the past two games. Outside linebacker Arden Key has had four sacks in the past three weeks.
The Titans will face a Chargers offensive line allowing a 39.7% quarterback pressure rate, the fourth-highest in the league. Justin Herbert was sacked a career-high six times in last Sunday’s 27-10 win at Cleveland.
“They play a really sound scheme. They like to try to squeeze you and keep everything in front of you and make you go the long way,” Chargers offensive coordinator Greg Roman said.
The Chargers have one of the most improved units in the league in coach Jim Harbaugh and defensive coordinator Jesse Minter’s first season in Los Angeles. They are eighth in total defense (303.8 yards per game) and eighth against the run (107.9 yards per game).
“So far, it’s going well. But like I always say, it’s a week-to-week league. You can’t sit around going, ‘Hey, look where we’re at right now.’ Happy with where we’re at and always trying to chase ways to get better,” Minter said.
The Chargers still don’t know which quarterback they will be facing. Tennessee’s Will Levis has missed the last three games with a sprained AC joint in his right throwing shoulder. Levis, though, was a full participant in practice on Thursday.
Mason Rudolph is the Titans' other option.
“I mean, it’s a challenge. You look at the film and get a bead on both the guys. Double the work but better to be prepared,” linebacker Khalil Mack said.
After some early-season concerns, the Chargers' receivers are beginning to show their potential.
Ladd McConkey is tied for third among rookies with 35 receptions and has five straight games with at least four catches. Quentin Johnston is coming off a career-high 118 yards last week after missing two games with an ankle injury, and Josh Palmer’s last four receptions have gone for at least 26 yards, including a 28-yard TD at Cleveland.
Chargers defensive back Elijah Molden has been anticipating this game since the Titans traded him on Aug. 29. Molden leads Los Angeles with three interceptions and is fifth in tackles with 32.
“Part of the reason I asked for a trade or to be released from the Titans is because I believed my best football was ahead of me. I wanted to play a lot and contribute, and I’m doing that right now,” Molden said.
Molden isn’t the only former Titan who has helped the Chargers this season. Cornerback Kristian Fulton has started six of the seven games he has played but might miss a second straight week with a hamstring strain. Defensive lineman Teair Tart blocked a field goal last week at Cleveland, and linebacker Bud Dupree is averaging 35 snaps per game.
Fulton and Tart were with Tennessee for four seasons (2020-23), while Dupree was there for two (2021-22). Titans defensive lineman Sebastian Joseph-Day was with the Chargers for the past two seasons.
Titans coach Brian Callahan said running back Tony Pollard might not have to practice again if he can play the way he did last week when an injured foot sidelined him from practice. Pollard responded with a season-high 128 yards rushing on a career-high 28 carries. He also had 26 yards receiving for 154 yards from scrimmage, the second-best game in his career.
“It sounds good, but I’m one of those guys I got to go out there and practice it for full speed so I can have a feel for what it’s going to be like the game,” Pollard said.
Pollard might be getting some help in the backfield. Running back Tyjae Spears has missed three straight games with a hamstring injury. The Titans are happiest when they can mix and match the pair.
The home team has won the last eight meetings in the series, including Tennessee’s 27-24 overtime victory last season.
The Titans have not won a road game against the Chargers since 1990 when they were the Houston Oilers, and Warren Moon threw for 355 yards in a 17-7 victory at San Diego. They have lost nine straight — seven in San Diego, one in London in 2018, and a 17-14 defeat in 2022 in the Chargers’ current home.
AP Pro Football Writer Teresa Walker in Nashville, Tennessee, contributed to this report.
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Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Khalil Mack smiles as he leaves the field after an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Tennessee Titans safety Amani Hooker (37) intercepts a pass intended for New England Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte (9) to end the game in overtime of an NFL football game in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/John Amis)
Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Khalil Mack (52) sacks Cleveland Browns quarterback Jameis Winston (5) for a 6-yard loss in the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Tennessee Titans safety Amani Hooker (37) smiles as he leaves the filed following an overtime win over the New England Patriots in an NFL football game in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/John Amis)
